Grilling Gear

It takes more than tongs and spatulas to master the grill. Here are some additional tools you might want to help you master your craft.

Basting Brushes – Essential for brushing oils, bastes, glazes, and sauces on grilling food; the best barbecue basting brushes have long wooden handles and natural bristles. When working with messy sauces, I often use a cheap, natural-bristle painting-brush. Avoid nylon basting brushes, which will melt. For extra flavor, use bunches of herbs as basting brushes.

Brushes and Scrubbers – A good grill grate brush will have a long, sturdy handle, a stiff, wide wire brush head, and a scraper at the end for dislodging burnt-on pieces of debris (a long handle is essential for working on a hot grill). A V-shaped wire brush is useful for scrubbing the individual bars of a particularly dirty grate. A grill scrubber should have a tough fiber pad for cleaning grates and fireboxes.

Drip Pans – Aluminum foil drip pans are indispensable. Not only are they essential for positioning under the grate of the grill to catch fat, you can use them to soak wood chips and keep cooked foods warm on the side of the grill. You’ll find heavy-duty aluminum foil drip pans at your local supermarket or barbecue shop. Buy a variety of sizes.

Fire Extinguisher – While grilling is fun, it should also be executed safely. Minor flare-ups can be controlled with a water pistol or a sprinkling of salt. In case of bigger flare-ups have a fire extinguisher armed and ready. You want a dry chemical type. An extinguisher remains charged and ready to use for several years – provided that it’s not used. If you do use it, have it professionally recharged and inspected, or get another extinguisher.

Forks – Guys who don’t know any better use forks to poke holes in steaks and burgers, thereby draining the juices onto the coals. The tines of a barbecue fork are good for sliding between the bars of the grate to lift up food when it’s sticking to the grate, but don’t stick them into the meat.

Gloves – Indispensable for handling anything hot on or off the grill. Leather or suede gloves give you the best insulation. For maximum protection, choose a long-sleeve glove that comes most of the way up your arm. Grilla Gear’s suede gloves, are thick, well-padded, and long.

Grate Grabber – A plier-like device that helps you to lift a hot grate off the grill when it’s time to replenish the charcoal, if your grill is not hinged.

Grill Baskets – If you’ve ever tried to grill a fragile fish steak, cheese sandwich, or vegetable burger, only to have it stick to the grate, you’ll appreciate the value of the hinged grill basket. You insert the food between the hinged wire panels. When it’s time to turn, you invert the basket, not the fragile food. Long-handled grill baskets typically have a metal ring that slides over the handle to fasten the panels together. The handle on Charcoal Companion’s large grill basket comes off so you can close the grill lid over the basket. A drum-shaped grill basket, also from the Charcoal Company, allows you to rotate a basketful of cubed vegetables. It has eight sides and a detachable handle.

Fish Baskets – Whole fish and fish fillets are notorious for sticking to grates. The grill basket solves this problem. To prevent the fish from sticking or breaking, you turn the baskets with the fish inside.

Grill Lights – These lamps clamp on the side of your grill, shedding light on the food you’re grilling. They are available in both plug-in and battery-powered versions. Avoid lights that clip on the lid of the grill. The heat will melt the plastic.

Kebab Basket – I wouldn’t deem this essential, but in the event you should want to grill vegetable pieces or cubes of fish that are too clumsy or fragile to skewer, this gadget is your ticket. To brown all sides you turn the basket.

Mops – Mops are a must on the professional barbecue circuit, used for dabbing thin flavoring mixtures onto chickens, ribs, pork shoulders, and whole hogs. Professional barbecuers actually use full-size floor mops (brand-new ones, of course) - hence the name mop sauce. For home grilling, buy a barbecue mop. You can wash mop head in the dishwasher.

Patio Protector – DiversiTech’s fireproof patio protector goes under your grill to shield your deck or patio from any falling sparks and dripping fat.

Poultry Roaster – A roaster enables you to barbecue a chicken in an upright position. This helps the fat drain off more efficiently, producing a crispier, juicier chicken.

Rib Rack – This elegantly simple device solves a problem that has bedeviled barbequers for decades: how to cook a lot of ribs on a small grill. By standing the ribs on end in the rack you can quadruple to capacity of your grill. Another advantage to using a rib rack: The vertical position helps the fat drain off, resulting in a lighter, crispier rib.

Roast Holder – Using a roast holder helps a roast keep is cylindrical shape during indirect grilling.

Shish Kebab Rack – A metal rack that holds six or eight individual shish kebab skewers. The device is supposed to facilitate turning the kebabs and promote even cooking.

Skewers – Barbecue skewers come in all sizes and in a dazzling array of shapes, each designed for a specific function. You’re probably already familiar with the simple metal skewers. Keep at least eight on hand. The flat blades of shish kebab skewers keep the chunks of meat from rotating. Two-pronged skewers are great for grilling slippery foods, like onions, tomatoes, and shrimp (the dual prongs keep the foods from slipping). Flat metal skewers from the Near East are designed for grilling ground meat kebabs and vegetables. Ground meats cling to their broad surface area. Wet vegetables, like plum tomatoes, won’t spin when you turn them over. Slender bamboo skewers – sold in all sizes – are the preferred kebab holder throughout Asia. Flat bamboo skewers from Peru are used for making Peru’s beloved anticuchos (beef heart kebabs). Moroccan shish kebab skewers with slender blades, are perfect for skewering small cubes of meat. Curved skewers from Charcoal Companion, add a whimsical touch to a barbecue. In many parts of the world, grill meisters cook kebabs on lemongrass stalks, strips of sugarcane, rosemary sprigs, and other skewers you can actually eat or chew. The obvious advantage here is that you put flavor inside the meat, as well as on the surface.

Skillets and Woks – These ingenious baskets enable you to “stir-grill” vegetables, shrimp, and other small pieces of food the way you would stir-fry in a wok on the stove. The holes allow the smoke and flame flavors to reach the food. A long handle on a grill wok facilitates tossing, as you would when stir-frying. A short handle allows you to close the lid of the grill over the basket.

Spatulas – Handy for turning flat foods, like burgers and fish fillets. Choose a spatula with a long, sturdy, angled handle (the angle keeps your hand away from the fire) and the widest blade possible. Holes in the blade prevent the buildup of steam, which could make your food soggy.

Spray Bottles and Misters – One of the secrets of succulent barbecue is conscientiously spraying it with oil or a basting mixture. Spray bottles can be used for liquid flavorings, like apple cider or vinegar. Misters are designed for spraying thicker liquids like olive oil.

Thermometers – There’s only one fail-safe way to tell when meat or poultry is ready to take off the grill – take its temperature. An instant-read meat thermometer with a long metal probe gives you the internal temperate as soon as you insert it. A long-handled, long-needled thermometer is useful for taking the temperature of roasts, pork shoulders, and other large cuts of meat. Instant-read thermometers also come in digital models.

Tongs – The most important tool in a griller’s workshop, tongs enable you to turn meat without stabbing it. When buying tongs, look for long, stiff arms (14 to 16 inches), so you won’t burn yourself; stiff, so you can pick up a whole chicken without having the tongs bend. A lockable spring-loaded hinge enables you to secure your grip on a slippery or awkward piece of food. Scalloped ends give the tongs a surer hold. The wooden handles of the Grilla Gear tongs, act as insulators and are supposed to keep your hands from slipping. I also like spring-loaded restaurant tongs, available from restaurant supply houses. The slender metal arms of some models may bend when you try to pick up heavy items.

Vegetable and Fish Grates – These wire or perforated metal plates are place on top of the grill grate to hold small pieces of food (like mushrooms or okra) that would fall through the bars of a conventional grate. They’re also good for fragile foods, such as vegetable burgers and fish fillets. Wire vegetable grates allow fire and smoke to penetrate food easily, while perforated metal plates provide better support for fragile items. When using vegetable and fish grates, preheat them well and spray them with oil before placing the food on top.

How To Grill, The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques by Steven Raichlen

For more great tips from Steven Raichlen’s “How To Grill” visit your local bookstore or click here to visit his website www.barbecuebible.com

The Perfect Grill

Grilling with Charcoal is the best way to cook steaks according to most experts but there’s more than one type of grill.

Tuscan Grill – The Tuscan is the simplest of all grills, a sturdy metal grate with legs, so you can position it over a fire. Italians in general and Tuscans in particular use these grills in their fireplaces. You let the wood or charcoal burn down to embers and shovel them under the grate. The food goes on top. More elaborate versions feature a double grate attached at one end with a hinge. You place your steak or portobello mushrooms between the grates and turn the device over when one side is grilled.

What to look for when buying a Tuscan grill – Sturdy construction; legs that raise the grill at least 4 inches above the floor of your fireplace; and grates with variably spaced bars that can hold both large and small pieces of food.

Hibachi – The hibachi is the traditional grill in Japan and variations are found throughout Asia. It consists of a small metal firebox with grates positioned over the coals. Hibachis are made of thick, heavy metal to hold in the heat. Their small size makes them highly portable and allows you to place one on a table outside, so you can grill in front of your guests (if you do so, be sure to have insulation underneath). You control the heat by means of vents at the bottom. Many hibachis come with grates you can position closer to or farther away from the coals for additional heat control. (A split or double grate enables you to cook some foods at a higher temperature, some at a lower one.) Hiabachis are designed for the direct grilling of small cuts of meats – teriyaki, yakitori, satés, kebabs, chicken breasts, and small steaks. This makes sense, because Asians love tiny kebabs and pieces of meat they can pair with rice noodles or wrap in lettuce leaves.

What to look for when buying a hibachi – Sturdy construction; a thick heavy firebox with adjustable vents at the bottom; and split or double grates you can raise and lower.

Kettle Grill – The bowl-shaped kettle grill has been the workhorse of barbecue in the United States ever since an Illinois metalworker fashioned one from two halves of a nautical buoy in 1952. (His name was George Stephen and he went on to found the Weber-Stephen grill company.) The virtue of the kettle grill is its simplicity: You put the coals in the bottom and place the food on a grate above them. This makes direct grilling a snap, and the high sides protect the fire from wind. But the real genius of the kettle grill is its vent system and domed lid. These enable you to turn a kettle grill into a smoke by using a technique known as indirect grilling. The kettle-shaped grill is a trademarked Weber product, but kettle-type grills (with domed covers) come in many shapes and sizes. One popular model looks like a square pillow.

What to look for when buying a kettle grill – Sturdy legs and construction; a bottom grate for holding the coals above the bottom of the firebox; a top grate; and vents at the top and bottom of the grill, so you can control the heat. Optional features include an ash catcher; a hinged grate, which allows you to add charcoal and wood to the fire without removing the food; a rotisserie attachment; side tables; and a thermometer built into the lid. If your kettle grill does not have side baskets, you can buy wire rails that corral the coals, keeping the piles on each side of the grill neat and concentrated for indirect grilling. Or you can buy metal side baskets (these are manufactured by Weber). Position them at opposite sides of the grill (under the grate that holds the food) and fill them with blazing coals and wood chips for smoking.

Barbecook Grill – The Barbecook grill, manufactured in Belgium, is a charcoal grill with a chimney starter built into the base. To control the heat you adjust the vents and raise and lower the grill grate. This handsome grill is one of the best-selling charcoal grills in Europe. Its sales are increasing in North America – especially in high-end cookware and barbecue shops. Accessories include a dome-shaped lid, which allows for indirect grilling.

Ceramic Cooker – This curious grill arrived on the American barbeque scene in 1974. It is modeled on a Japanese kamado, a domed, charcoal-fired clay oven that’s been used in the Far East for thousands of years. The heavy ceramic smoker grill consists of a firebox with a grate in the middle and a domed lid that’s tall enough to accommodate a large turkey. The thick clay walls maintain a steady, even temperature, so even a little charcoal will keep the cooker going for several hours (this also enables you to cook at a very low temperature). Vents at the top and bottom allow you to control the heat. The tight-fitting lid seals in moisture, which keeps food exceptionally moist and tender. Ceramic cookers work on a hybrid principle: The food is positioned directly over the coals, as in direct grilling, but because the grate sits so high above the coals, the coking process is more like that of indirect grilling. A perforated ceramic coal holder allows air to enter from below the coals, which fuels the fire and facilitates air flow from top to bottom. The Big Green Egg is the best known ceramic cooker, but other companies make similar devices.

What to look for when buying a ceramic cooker – Thick walls of heat-resistant, kilned ceramic; a tight fitting seal around the lid; a safety catch that prevents the lid from falling shut (it’s heavy); air vents at the top and bottom; “shoes” (ceramic supports that keep the hot cooker an inch or so above your deck); side tables; housing in a rolling cart.

Table Grill – As the name suggests, the table grill looks like a large table, the top of which is a shallow box that holds charcoal or can be fitted for gas. Most table grills have adjustable grates so you can raise and lower the cooking surface to control the heat. Some allow you to do this by means of a notched support that can hold the grate at a variety of heights. Some use gears. Table grills are designed chiefly for direct grilling, but many have fittings for rotisseries. These grills are popular for backyard grilling in Australia and are sporadically available in the United States. (They’re used for institutional grilling; barbecue festivals, country club cookouts, church barbecues, and the like.) The best place to look for a table grill is at a party rental company.

What to look for when buying a table grill – Sturdy construction with solid legs; a grill that can be raised and lowered; and a fitting for a rotisserie.

How To Grill, The Complete Illustrated Book of Barbecue Techniques by Steven Raichlen

For more great tips from Steven Raichlen’s “How To Grill” visit your local bookstore or click here to visit his website www.barbecuebible.com